A Monument To Memories
Tag: norfolk island tourism
Silent Moments
Bumboras Beach – Norfolk Island
In February this year, Susan and I visited Norfolk Island for the 3rd time, this time to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary.
The first 2 times we went there (1997 & 2007), I was deeply entrenched in Photography. Whilst I took photos again on my DSLR, I also took a lot of reference photos on with my phone camera for when I returned.
The image below is one such image.
On Saturday last, I chose this image as my reference photo for Day 1,220 of a Watercolour Sketch a Day.
In 3 visits to Norfolk Island, this was our first visit to this popular picnic spot. The island in the distance is Phillip Island.
Materials used:
- Moleskine 200gsm Sketchbook
- Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.05
- Winsor and Newton Artist Quality Paint
- Neef Watercolour brushes
I think I am getting better with my sketching/painting of rocks/boulders and am happier with the bottom half of the image than the top half.
I will have another attempt at this on a small scale and then would will aim to do an A4 size.
If you are ever on Norfolk Island, don’t wait until your 3rd visit to visit this beautiful spot.
Till next time!
David Johnson
6 June 2022
Promises
History Is Revived
On This Island…
A Norfolk Island “Lighter”
Well, the first question you might ask is…’What is a Lighter?’
A Lighter is a ‘shallow-draft boat or barge, usually flat-bottomed, used in unloading (lightening) or loading ships offshore’. Source: Brittanica.com
Norfolk Island has no harbour and the closest cargo ships can moor to it is about 1 kilometre (0.62 miles)
The cargo is lifted onto the Lighters and then the Lighters transport the goods to Kingston Pier. A further challenge is that, even at high tide, the water is only 1 metre (3.2 feet) deep so a high degree of seamanship is required.
We were fortunate even to see this careful practice take place in our second visit to Norfolk Island back in 2007.
I find the Lighters to be a fascinating subject, particularly the ones that are no longer in service. There are 3 at Kingston, placed on land to add to the character of an already stunningly beautiful area. Oh, the stories I bet they could tell!
For me, they are one of my favourite subjects on Norfolk Island and have inspired me in terms of photography, sketching, painting and poetry.
Here are few examples:
Till next time!
Written, photographed, sketched and painted by myself.
23 April 2022
No. 7
The Bounty Folk Museum
Norfolk Island has a number of great museums as it has a very rich history, maritime and otherwise.
Of course one of the most famous aspects of its history is the fact that the Bounty Mutineer descendants made their home on Norfolk island after transferring from Pitcairn Island. There also had been a Polynesian Settlement before Captain Cook arrived and two Penal Colonies prior to arrival of Bounty Mutineer descendants.
The Bounty Folk Museum is situated at Middlegate, on the way to the UNESCO World Heritage site at Kingston and Arthur’s Vale if you are heading there from Burnt Pine, the main shopping centre on the Island.
On http://www.norfolkisland.com.au The Bounty Folk Museum is described as ‘A treasure chest of history, an Aladdin’s cave full of fantastic collections, excellent learning resources and inspiring information …’.
We visit The Bounty Folk Museum every time we go to Norfolk Island and each time, we allow 2-3 hours time to explore. It is much bigger than it looks from the outside.
Rather than me try to explain what you will find there, have a look at the images below. It is absolutely fascinating! The following images do not show all the rooms there.
This museum is very much on the ‘must do’ list when you are visiting Norfolk Island!
Till next time!
Written and Photographed by David Johnson
14 April 2022
“A New Heaven – The Norfolk Poems” – Mark Tarren
Regular readers of my blog will be aware of my love of writing Poetry and collecting books on Poetry that inspire and delight me.
On our recent trip to Norfolk Island, I was pleased to not only pick up a copy of Mark Tarren’s latest book but also actually get to meet the Author himself.
I first heard about the book from Mary Beth Tarren (Mark’s Wife) in a chance meeting outside Mary’s “Aunt Mary’s Kitchen” cafe/restaurant. Everyone is so friendly on Norfolk Island so it is easy for conversations to get started.
During the conversation, Mary mentioned that her husband had written a Poetry book relating to Norfolk Island. It wasn’t long before I came across the book as it is in several outlets on the Island.
I was quite impressed with the writing. One can sense the deep emotional impact that living on Norfolk Island has had on Mark and I am very pleased to add it to my collection.
For me (as a 3rd time visitor to Norfolk) it was also another way of ‘taking a bit more of Norfolk Island back home with me…’. Over the three trips we have brought back all sorts of souvenirs from this piece of Paradise, including “Morla el Do” a collection of Poems by another Norfolk Island resident, Archie Biggs.
There are all sorts of souvenirs one can bring home from a holiday to remind us of the wonderful times we have had however, to bring home words written in such fine style by a Poet with images that complement those words, is to bring home something special from the Heart of a resident.
To find out more about the book and Mark Tarren, please click on the following link:
https://www.marktarren.com/a-new-heaven
Happy Reading!
Written by David Johnson
3 April 2022
See a previous article on my blog for the list of Poetry books I have: https://communicatingcreatively.com/2021/11/29/a-growing-collection/
Communicating Creatively 